September 3, 2015

Unlikely whiskies or quasi-whiskies
from the rest of the world

… As our Scottish friends would say… Well not sure they can still say that, given the current success of some of these whiskies ‘from the rest of the world’…

Praskoveykoe 4 yo (40%, OB, Russia, bottled 2009)

Russian whisky made in the Stavropol Region, at Praskoveya Winery. That's in northern Caucasus. We had tried a 5yo back in 2011 and found it more than acceptable (WF 70). Colour: straw. Nose: it’s a sweet and fruity drop, it seems, full of pears and apples, with pleasant notes of ripe sweet barley and perhaps a touch of sweet vanilla. As often, there’s also a little dust, hints of cardboard, a little flour perhaps… No big nose, and no off note either. Mouth: again, this isn’t unpleasant, with apples and oranges, then vanilla and shortbread. It’s light bodied, without any obvious flaws, and no traces of burnt stuff as may be found in unlikely ‘foreign’ whiskies. I could drink this (while in Caucasus!) Finish: medium, sweet, with touches of jams and liqueurs. Perhaps plum eau-de-vie? Comments: honest and serious young local whisky. I think I’ll use the same score as that of the 5yo. SGP:341 - 70 points.

Brenne (40%, OB, France, single malt, +/-2015)

Brenne (40%, OB, France/USA, single malt, +/-2015)

French whisky totally unknown to the French, marketed in America by some Americans, how unlikely is that. It’s a bit like the infamous Bastille, perhaps. It’s made in the Cognac region, using cognac stills I guess, and while Brenne is also the name of a lovely region of France, that’s rather around 150 or 200 km away from Cognac. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very unlikely, but not unpleasant. It’s got notes of overripe mangos and molassy rum, plus a lot of overripe bananas, which rather gives this baby some kind of Caribbean style. Not quite whisky, but truly ‘world’. In fact, blinded, I’d have said rum from Mauritius. Mouth: same feeling, this is much more rum than whisky. Bananas again, sweet medicine for kids, strawberry sweets, a little vanilla again, plus an oaky structure in the background (cinnamon, white pepper, tea). Finish: rather short, with more tannins coming out. Vanilla cream in the aftertaste. Comments: not a bad spirit at all, it's even rather likeable, and indeed it reminds me of some cured rums. Just don’t expect Ardbeg. Or Cognac XO. Or Glann ar Mor, for that matter… SGP:620 - 70 points.

Debowa Polska Golden Oak Vodka (40%, OB, Poland,+/-2014)

Oak aged vodka, or probably rather oak flavoured vodka. I don’t know if the vodka was made with grains, which would have made this baby a quasi-whisky, but let’s just taste it… Colour: white wine. Nose: more grassy vodka than whisky, for sure. Ethanol, mown lawn, more grass, even more grass, truckload of grass, fruit peelings, and perhaps a little oak indeed. But no vanilla-ed extravaganza! Mouth: sweeter, and rather vanilled this time. Sugar syrup, custard, tinned pears, more sugar… And perhaps a touch of strawberries. Another one that’s no bad spirit, it’s just a little ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Finish: very short. Vanilla and corn syrup. Comments: rather bland, but acceptable as some kind of component in some kind of cocktail, and certainly not repulsive. A good occasion to use a 50-mark, that doesn’t happen so often. SGP:330 - 50 points.

Well, it seems that our Russian whisky’s leading the pack at this stage… Wait, weren’t we in Poland?...

Polugar ‘Classic Rye' (38.5%, OB, Poland, unaged, +/-2013)

Russian ‘breadwine’ made in Poland in pot stills. We have already tried some malted rye by Polugar, and that one was excellent (WF 80). Colour: white – so not aged in wood. Nose: feels like distilled bread, and this is something I enjoy. Rye, obviously, liquorice, caraway, juniper, a little fennel perhaps… And massive whiffs of some wholegrain bread straight from the baker’s oven. A touch of earth as well. It’s probably no very deep spirit, but it was distilled with care. Mouth: oily, on the same notes. Too bad it’s only bottled at 38.5%, that makes it a notch flabby. A hint of smoked ham, perhaps, otherwise herbs, caraway, a little ginger, and a lot of bread. Finish: not short, very bready, and spicy. Bizarrely, I find touches of dry oak, while there obviously isn’t any. Comments: good spirit for sure, but its too light. Especially when you know that good rye can make for true powerhouses. SGP:361 - 72 points.

Ankara 5 yo Malt Viski (43%, OB, Turkey, +/-2000)

Some malt whisky made by a large Turkish state-owned monopolistic corporation called Tekel, since 1963. Sadly, they stopped make it quite a few years ago, and it even seems that that state monopoly was disbanded and privatised in 2004. Tekel were also making raki, Turkey’s national liquor, as well as, if I remember well, cigarettes. Colour: gold. Nose: vanilla and sawdust are ruling the whole thing, then sponge cake and biscuits. It’s very simple, and perhaps rather bourbony at times (no straight malty aromas to be seen), but I think it used to do the trick. I remember we were drinking it with Coke while vacationing around Bodrum, and we weren’t complaining… Mouth: surprisingly good. Or rather more than acceptable, with good oak, vanilla, orange liqueur, sweet bread, and, perhaps, three drops of raki. No, I’m joking. Good body. Finish: a bit short, but these spices from the oak and the oranges work in sync. Comments: even more to my liking than I remembered. Our Turkish friends were making it very well! It’s a bit of a shame that now that there seems to be an enthusiastic whisky scene in Turkey, the country stopped making this good whisky. SGP:441 - 74 points.

Good, Turkey takes the lead!

P&M (42%, OB, pure malt, France, Corsica, +/-2007)

An older bottle of the Corsican P&M. We’ve tried a recent batch two years ago and it’s been to my liking (WF 78). P&M contains chestnuts, and some say that chestnuts aren’t grains, hence that this couldn’t be whisky. I’m calling that being a notch too picky, perhaps… Colour: gold. Nose: fern, burning wood, cider apples, cider, charcoal, these sorts of things. Rather unusual, but not unpleasant. It’s rather light, it seems… Mouth: more difficult. The texture is perfect, but the oak feels, and you’ve got an impression of cardboard and cheap fruit liqueur. Saccharin. And certainly sweet beer. Pass… Finish: quite long, a tad drier, but also a little soapy. Comments: all I can confirm is that P&M have improved their malt whiskies a lot since they started. A lot! SGP:430 - 55 points.

Penderyn ‘That Try’ (41%, OB, Wales, 2015)

A lot of story around this bottle, rugby, tries, old legends and all that. Now they just wouldn’t tell you what’s inside the bottle, except that it’s Penderyn. No age, vintage, wood type… A little short, perhaps? Colour: white wine. Nose: peated apples and white cherries, perhaps, plus grapefruit and sweet porridge. I’ve always found quite a lot of porridge in Penderyn – not that I’ve tasted hundreds, mind you. I quite enjoy the notes of sauvignon blanc as well. A Sancerre from Wales? Mouth: a little light, but the profile is very fine, sweetly smoky, with again these feeling of sauvignon blanc and smoked grapefruits. Sadly, it tends to nosedive, loosing steam and power, and becoming dry and rather too ashy. That must be the 41% vol. Finish: short, dry, ashy. Too bad, some sides were really nice. Comments: it’s a little funny to celebrate rugby legends with a light whisky – whether peated or not – but again, some sides were very pleasant. SGP:444 - 75 points.

Wales just took the lead, while using a story about their rugby team defeating the All-Blacks back in 1973. The All-Blacks? Hold on…

New Zealand Whisky 22 yo 1991/2013 (60.5%, OB, Willowbank, New Zealand, bourbon barrel, cask #135)

Other vintages have been very good, especially a 25 yo at 46% vol. (WF 85). Some older bottlings from the same distillery, bearing other names such as Milford or Lammerlaw, have been a little more unlikely IMHO. Colour: gold. Nose: very grassy, and almost closed. That’s the high strength. Broken branches, leaves, almonds… Not much. With water: white bread, soot, putty, and perhaps this kind of spritz car dealers put into their second-hand cars to make them smell newer. Mouth (neat): a Jonah-Lomu-esque arrival, massive, citric, flinty, and rather bready/cerealy. Rather raw despite the older age, but as always, water should help… With water: ah yes, this is good. A grassy, citrusy, sooty and grainy profile, rather raw again, but full and, as they say, satisfying. No ultra-deep whisky, bit it works. Finish: quite long, with lemons and chalk or clay. Comments: a good beast, of ‘Scottish quality’. May lack definition at times, but, well, I really liked it. SGP:362 - 82 points.

It seems that the Kiwis just took the lead, but the game isn’t over yet…

Amrut 2009/2014 (56.5%, OB, India, for Taiwan, Indian barley, PX, cask #2702, 360 bottles)

This baby lost 46% of its content to the angels, according to the label. Colour: gold. Nose: we’re having cakes and raisins aplenty, a little earth as well, but perhaps not Amrut’s trademark citrusy brightness this time. PX can be tricky! A little sour wood as well. With water: more sour wood, leaves, old cellar, humus, saltpetre… A very earthy one. Mouth (neat): rich and very cake-y. More citrus this time, but also a wee dusty side, which makes it slightly dirty and sour. That’s not bad at all, but yet again, I find this one rather un-Amrut on the palate. Chestnut purée, praline, milk chocolate… With water: same feeling. This dusty earthiness is a little troubling. Like the chocolate, though. Raisin-filled Lindt chocolate. Finish: quite long, with brighter oranges and always quite a lot of milk chocolate. The aftertaste is a tad dusty again. Comments: very good, of course, but I believe we’ve all tried brighter Amruts. SGP:551 - 81 points.

The Kiwis are keeping the upper hand. Let’s try another rugby country…

Lark 'Small Cask Aged' (43%, OB, Australia, Tasmania, Port cask, cask #516, 2014)

An unusual lighter Lark, after the ‘monsters’ we’ve tried last year. Colour: amber. Nose: a few touches of pencil shavings form those ‘small casks’, I guess, but other than that, were pretty much in old Macallan territories, which I find highly surprising. These dried figs, these raisins, this coal smoke as well, these slightly meaty notes… This has depth and complexity – while I’m sure it’s young stuff. Mouth: oak spices, raisins, honey, a touch of mint, a touch of liquorice, some caraway for sure, quite some coffee (the oak again?), café latte, butterscotch… It’s the coffee that’s most impressive. Café-Kuchen? Good body at just 43%, which mean that the spirit’s got depth. Finish: medium, and guess what, it reminds me of the old Macallan 12 again. Comments: I didn’t get the Port, and I won’t complain. I like this little Lark quite a lot. SGP:561 - 85 points.

Australia has got the upper hand now. Let’s fly back to Asia. To Taiwan, but not to Kavalan…

Nantou 'Bourbon Type' (46%, OB, TTL, Taiwan, +/-2014)

Our first Nantou! This is probably quite young… BTW, Nantou is made by TTL, a story that reminds us of Ankara and Tekel, as TTL, which means Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor, is a corporation owned by the state, and a former monopoly as well. Colour: pale gold. Nose: some light easy bourbony malt that reminds me of some entry-level Japanese malts. A young Yamazaki or something. Vanilla cake, apple pie, barley… It’s not complex, but it’s balanced and very pleasant. Custard! Mouth: very good, very easy, well crafted, with vanilla, cake, oranges, apples and a touch of sour cream. I haven’t got anything bad to say against this, it’s just not extremely… mindboggling? Finish: medium, very clean, vanilla-ed, barleyish, cake-y. Comments: very Japanese indeed. Little magic, whisky that’s perhaps a notch technological, but totally indisputable. They’re heading this way in Scotland too, you know… SGP:441 - 79 points.

Another chance…

Nantou 'Sherry type' (46%, OB, TTL, Taiwan, +/-2014)

Indeed, the Japanese way. So sherry this time… Colour: gold. Nose: it’s the bourbon plus raisins. Light, balanced, easy… Mouth: pleasant, easy, and even quite complex. Pink grapefruits, sultanas, rosehip tea, a very discreet spiciness (pink pepper, bay leaves) and then perhaps dog roses. Very good, no doubt at all. They must have put a lot of care into these batches. Finish: medium, extremely well balanced, with soft oak spices, fruits, some malt, and pastries. I even find a subtle phenolic touch, around lamp oil or other ‘chemical’ oils. Comments: no, really, this is very good. Made with a lot of seriousness and care, and I doubt you could do much better within just a few years. Perhaps not much thrill yet, but that may come… SGP:451 - 81 points.

And guess what, they do single casks as well! Let’s try one of them – not more – and we’ll call this a tasting session.

Nantou 2009/2014 (55.1%, OB, TTL, for emba wine club, Taiwan, bourbon, cask #098, 192 bottles)

Another bottling that feels very ‘Suntory’… That’s smart! Colour: gold. Nose: straight, clean, bourbony style. The vanilla’s rather loud, but there’s very little coconut, which is a sign of good quality in my book. If you feel the coconut in anything ex-American oak, it’s junk. There. Butter cream, brioche, white chocolate, freshly sawn planks, custard… A well-known song, but there aren’t any off notes. With water: oh nice! Teas and herbs, vanilla, light honey, fresh oak… Mouth (neat): technologically perfect. Oranges, vanilla, toasted oak, apple pie, shortbread, oatcakes, custard, acacia honey… The oranges add a little vibrancy to this combo. Smart! With water: quite nice, smooth yet not dull or flabby, it just loses a bit of focus and tends to become a little… Indefinite? Now you feel the barley and you feel fresh oak. Finish: medium, perhaps a tad plankish. Not much happening. Lose points here. Comments: they must have benchmarked Suntory (whom, in turn, may have benchmarked the….) The finish wasn’t utterly great, but all the rest was ‘pretty perfect’. Kudos. SGP:451 - 83 points.

So, who won? The Kiwis! I hope that wasn’t a prefiguration of this year’s Rugby World Cup… (but we haven’t tasted any of the best French whiskies today, hehehehe…)

Bonus, this baby just in, so tasted a few days after our main session was completed...

Paul John ‘Bold’ (46%, OB, India, 2015)

Paul John ‘Bold’ (46%, OB, India, 2015) A brand new peater by Paul John in Goa. I remember I had found the ‘Peated’ at 55% vol. much to my liking back in June this year (WF 86). Colour: dark gold. Nose: it’s a different peat smoke, we’re not exactly on Islay and I have to say some notes remind me of some Mackmyra. How strange. The oak’s been pretty active too, and the problem is that once you know it’s an Indian malt, you just cannot not think of Indian cooking and spices. Which I love, by the way. So yeah, some kind of soft and sweet curry, perhaps, smoked dal, a touch of smoky incense, and even, yes, a pan pack of readymade popadums. I’m aware that all that sounds stupid, and that there should be any ‘Indian’ smells in this, but there. Oh, and I find it extremely well balanced. So it’s unusual, but absolutely not weird. Mouth: same very spicy feeling, with some curry-flavoured bitter chocolate – yes – and certainly plenty of cardamom and nutmeg. It’s also a little drier than expected, and would rather develop on bitter oranges and maybe a little rosemary and thyme. Finish: long, always spicy, always ‘Indian’. Bizarrely, I find Paul John’s peaters more Indian than their unpeated offerings. Very smoky aftertaste, with some oak. Comments: not only funny whisky for old hippies, this ‘stuff’ is surprisingly well made. As some used to say in brochures, ‘this will make a nice addition to your peated collection’. SGP:456 - 85 points.

Unlikely whiskies or quasi-whiskies from the rest of the world

Unlikely whiskies or quasi-whiskies
from the rest of the world